Mall surface cracks: MBKS asked to seek advice from IEM

KUCHING: The Kuching South City Council (MBKS) has been asked to seek advice from the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) regarding apparent surface cracks at Vivacity Megamall.

A concerned member of the public said it is necessary to seek qualified experts to study the cracks in order to allay fears.

“I would presume they would have been there a while. If recently developed, they spell great alarm. Were the architect and engineers aware of them before someone posted on social media?” he questioned.

“Were those cracks meant to be there and to be seen as such? Or the responsible persons overlooked the need to make sure the joints would look acceptable?”

The complainant also wondered why the defects were not spotted and rectified during the construction supervision stage or during the acceptance inspection prior to the consultants’ submission to the council for the issuance of the occupation permit.

“Is the letter of assurance from the consulting engineer sufficient, bearing in mind that he’s an interested party? Can we take his word that everything is safe? The cracks on the corbel don’t look like surface cracks as claimed by the consultant. Will a more in-depth investigation be carried out?

“Was only one column affected or are there others? What about those column heads in the mall now covered up by the ceilings? Are there cracks too and will some ceilings be removed for further inspection?” he questioned.

The complainant added that based on his observations, some construction is still on-going on the upper floors and therefore loads on the columns continue to increase.

“Will this worsen the present cracks? Will the repairs be just quick fixes, brushing aside any possible more serious problems?” he asked, adding the matter was raised due to public concern.

No response on the matter could be obtained from MBKS or IEM Sarawak chief Haidel Heli. - Borneo Post